Qatar’s three Musketeers - Morocco, Mbappe and Messi
The World Cup is done and dusted, the spoils shared and the leagues get their lease of life. Difficult to believe it has been only a week back.
It’s been a world cup that bid many stereotyped notions a goodbye. Good boys Japan cannot win, African and Asian teams cannot beat Europeans and South Americans. Germany’s 2018 exit was an aberration and finally, a World Cup in the desert would be untenable.
It strengthened some stereotypes too - France is the team of this decade, Brazil has forgotten its killer instinct, England chokes when it comes to spot kicks and finally, great players can inspire great deeds.
This World Cup will also be remembered for the three Musketeers - Morocco, Mbappe and Messi.
Morocco- As per the Oct 22 FIFA rankings, Morocco was ranked twenty second. In a group comprising Belgium( FIFA Rank 2) Croatia (FIFA rank 12) and Canada (FIFA rank - 41), Morocco was expected to respectfully exit after the group stage, losing to its more fancied opponents. This team did not boast of a talisman like Egypt’s Salah, Senegal’s Mane or Korea’s Son. And, it traded a foreign coach with a local one (albeit with dual citizenship - French) recently.
But, what it had was belief in itself.
When it drew with Croatia on Nov 27th, there was no flutter. It beat Belgium on Dec 1st, creating a shock. By defeating Canada, it topped its group. Doubters and nay sayers had something to wake up to. The Spanish conquistadores(Fifa rank 7) and the Portuguese Os Navegadores (FIFA rank 9) were stopped in their tracks. It took the mighty France to stop the African lions from reaching the finals.
The African continent has for too long lived an ordinary life.. You know it for its poor law and order, military coups, abject poverty - all unflattering connotations. Sadly, not many glory stories. Till Morocco came into its own.
No nation in World Cup football history has outdone four higher ranked teams to reach the semis.
Kenyan athletes have set the track field ablaze, but in Africa’s first love - football, the continent has been an underachiever. Morocco has changed that, possibly irrevocably. While the 2010 tournament was popularised by “its time for Africa” song, 2022 is truly the “It’s time for Africa” year.
Mbappe- He has the pace of Usain Bolt, Nadia Comaneci’s agility, Muhammed Ali’s explosive power ( in two of the three penalties he scored in the final, the goal keeper guessed right, but the ball whizzed past him before he could dive) and Magnus Carlsen’s unwavering focus. All of 23, he has a World Cup trophy to his credit.
His every run gets the defenders scurrying, adrenaline pumping and the unfolding spectacle enchanting. He is the magnet that glues millions of viewers - young, old, black, white, brown to their screens.
We are talking about Kylian Mbappe - the rightful heir to the “Black Pearl” Pele’s throne of greatness. He might have what Kempes, Rossi, Rivaldo, Ronaldo, Maradona, Zidane could only dream of - multiple Jules Rimet trophies. So bright is Mbappe’s shine and lustre.
Lionel Messi - An optical fibre is among the greatest scientific inventions. A single fibre can transmit theoretically unlimited amount of data. It has incredible tensile strength of 2 Million pounds per square inch - among the strongest materials in the world. But, for all its strength, it is brittle and fragile. A minor kink can completely damage its ability to transmit data.
A genius (especially in sports) is no different. possesses incredible strength and the ability to deliver under enormous pressure - from the team, from the fans, from their countries - but, for all their strength, they can be brittle and fragile - ask Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar.
Messi is amongst the most celebrated sports persons of our generation. His greatness transcends the game- but till 2021, his trophy cabinet as the Captain of the Argentine team was bare.
Till Lionel Scaloni, the Argentine manager happened. Under Scaloni, Argentina won the Copa America in 2021 (its first win after 1993) and won the World Cup (the first time after 1986) in 2022.
A genius, like the optical fibre needs to be handled properly. Scaloni understood that Argentina’s chances depended on how uncluttered Messi’s mind was and how unfettered he could be on the field. Once, these two were addressed, Messi transformed into a Messiah - bringing unbridled joy to his country and legions of his fans.
When Messi and the world looks back at 2022, it knows that it was the duo of Lionel (Scaloni) Messi that was the real Musketeer.
In 2022, we witnessed one of the most competitive, exciting world cups of our lifetime. Morocco, Mbappe and Lionel Messi were pivotal musketeers in making it a great one.
#Mbappe #Messi #Morocco @FWC2022
